


Broken Bones

by RobinsonsWereHere



Series: Plant a Little Happiness (Let The Roots Run Deep) [8]
Category: Psych (TV 2006)
Genre: Broken Bones, Family Feels, Father-Son Relationship, Feels, Gen, Guilt, Hugs, Kid Fic, Light Angst, Light Whump, Mother-Son Relationship, Whumptober 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:02:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26977780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RobinsonsWereHere/pseuds/RobinsonsWereHere
Summary: It's hard for Shawn and Gus to keep track of five kids between the two of them om a large, crowded playground, so it's inevitable that someone's going to get hurt at some point. But even though three-year-old Alex brushes off his tumblr pretty quick, he's not quite as okay as he seems.
Relationships: Juliet O'Hara & Original Child Character(s), Juliet O'Hara/Shawn Spencer, Shawn Spencer & Original Child Character(s)
Series: Plant a Little Happiness (Let The Roots Run Deep) [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1941595
Comments: 6
Kudos: 11
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	Broken Bones

**Author's Note:**

> Hello I am exhausted from a number of things rn. Pls never let me write two long fics back to back again. But I hope you enjoy this lighter whumptober fare!

Shawn keeps a careful hand on Alex’s back, mindful of how wildly the three-year-old is rocking on the playground horse. He’s liable to go flying off if a single hand slips.

Delilah he’s less worried about; his seven-year-old daughter is equally enthusiastic, but she has slightly more motor control, and her legs are wrapped tightly around the horse, in addition to her hands gripping the handles.

Playground afternoons are always hectic, with two of him (well, him and Gus) and five kids. Jaden Guster is running around the playground practically faster than light. Ella, Alex’s twin, is half-buried in the sand box. And forget the kids on the rocking horses, Leah Guster is about to fly off the swing.

So, yeah. Hectic.

Shawn stays by the horses, but his gaze is scanning the area. Gus is pushing Leah on the swing, although he’s probably trying to slow her down rather than add to her momentum. That’s the thing about taking kids to a playground… they always try to find the most dangerous way to play possible.

“Daddy!” Ella runs up to him, covered in sand, and tugs on his jeans. “Come see my sand castle!”

He follows her obediently, catching Gus’ eye. He’s all the way over by the swings, but he can at least keep an eye on Delilah and Alex.

Ella’s sandcastle is more of a mound with sticks and leaves decorating it, but Shawn oohs and awws anyway. She gives him a wide smile and sits back down in the sand. Shawn’s regretful thoughts about laundry day are interrupted by the wail of a toddler, and a more adult shout.

“Woah! Alex!”

Shawn and Gus make it to the rocking horses at around the same time, finding Alex in tears on the ground and Delilah hugging him and rubbing his back, her hazel eyes filled with worry. “He just slipped Daddy, he didn’t hold on like he’s s’posed to!”

“It’s alright hon, everyone takes a tumble sooner or later,” he says, squeezing her shoulder. He moves his daughter gently away, but she still holds her brother’s hand. “Good job checking on him; you’re a great sister.”

Alex’s tears are subsiding now that he’s safe in his father’s lap, and he wipes his snotty nose on Shawn’s shirt. “My arm hurts, Daddy.”

“You probably landed on it when you fell, bud,” Shawn tells him. “It’s gonna be sore for a little bit, but that’s okay. I’ll help you feel better.” He kisses Alex’s arm where it’s not covered by his tshirt. There’s no blood, so that’s good. He’s probably just a little bruised. “Do you want some water? How about a snack?”

With water and apple slices, Alex is feeling much better. Delilah wanders over to the swings when she’s sure her brother is okay-- after a snack of her own, of course. And even Alex is soon happy to join his sister in the sand pit.

“At least they’ve slowed down,” Shawn jokes. Gus snorts. Shawn reclines on the bench, stretching his arms behind his head. He gives a confident smirk.

Crisis averted.

\---

“Ow, Mama!” Alex whines in pain as Juliet pulls his shirt over his head. “That hurt my arm!”

Juliet frowns; she remembers Shawn mentioning that Alex had taken a tumble at the playground. “Sorry, honey. A bubble bath will help it feel better.”

“But I’m not dirty, Mama!”

Juliet gives him a playful grin. “Well, in the bath you’ve got your bath crayons, and your cloud fountain, and your fish toys… you can’t play with them if you don’t take a bath…”

At this, her son takes off the rest of his clothes himself. Juliet laughs and goes to find Ella. When both kids are in the bubble bath, they’re playing happily… but Juliet notices something concerning on her son.

His left forearm is marked with bruises, some dark red, some purple. And there’s a worrying amount of swelling near his elbow. She frowns, her brows knitting together.

“Alex, honey,” she asks, “does your arm still hurt from the playground this afternoon?”

“Uh-huh.I don’t wanna touch it,” he says. His lips turn into a pout. That’s the funny thing about kids-- they have a remarkable ability to ignore any and all pain until they’re reminded of it.

“Can I touch it? I’ll be gentle,” she promises.

Alex looks wary, but he obligingly extends the limb. She sees him wince when it’s all the way stretched out.

Carefully, Julier runs her fingers over his arm, but when she presses on the tight, swollen skin, he cries out and yanks it back.

“Sorry, sorry,” she apologizes. “I’m sorry, honey.”

_We definitely need to get that looked at_ she thinks. 

But it’s best to not mention doctors or medicine to a child until they really need them, so she keeps the thought to herself. “Let’s get some shampoo going, huh?”

\---

Juliet wanders back into the master bedroom after she’s sent the twins to pick out pajamas and bedtime stories. “Shawn?” she calls. “Are you in here?”

The stairs creak, footsteps running up them, and her husband appears in the doorway. “I was just making sure Delilah was settling down. What do you need, babe?”

“Have you looked at Alex’s arm?” she pulls her hair from the messy bun she’d bobbed it up in for bath time. “He says it still hurts, and it looked really bruised and swollen.”

Shawn frowns deeply. “Huh… I noticed a bruise, but he walked it off so fast at the park… how much swelling was it? And what’s normal?”

“I don’t know.” She pushes her hair from her face. “I think we should maybe get it looked at… I don’t know what’s open this late, but if it’s keeping him up…”

“Let’s check on him.” Shawn moves closer and squeezes her shoulder. “See how he feels. Maybe we don’t _need_ a midnight ER trip…”

Juliet follows Shawn downstairs, lost in worried thoughts. Of course the ER would be miserable, but she’s not going to sleep tonight, and if he’s really in pain, neither is Alex.

When they reach the twins’ bedroom, Ella is in pajamas and playing quietly with her stuffed animals, while Alex is only half-dressed and lying listlessly on his bed. His expression is one of anguish and he’s holding his arm away from him.

Shawn and Juliet exchange glances.

“Yeah,” Shawn sighs, “I’ll grab the keys.”

\---

Shawn sits in the ER waiting room, bouncing Alex on his knee, but his mind is far away from the hustle and bustle. He keeps replaying the afternoon in his head, and then everything after, every time he’s looked at his son and not realized how much pain he was in.

_What kind of dad am I? I was there when it happened, but Jules was the only one who thought to get real medical help. And here I thought I was supposed to be hyper-observant…_

Juliet’s return from the registration counter pulls him from his thoughts. “Apparently a nurse will be with us soon.”

Nodding absently, Shawn looks down at the boy in his arms. Alex is squirming, reaching toward Juliet. “Mama,” he calls out. Shawn hands him over.

Of course, Alex has always been a mama’s boy. Shawn doesn’t take it personally when any of the kids go to Juliet before him. Still, already caught in a loop of self-doubt, it’s a punch to the gut.

He’s as restless as his three-year-old, seeking a water fountain, then a bathroom, then a vending machine, then a vending machine again, because he can’t get a snack only for himself with Jules and Alex around. Alex fusses in Juliet’s lap. Juliet holds him close, kissing his blonde curls. Shawn wraps an arm over her shoulders and plants his face in hers.

Finally, just over an hour later, a cheery woman in scrubs calls out their name. Shawn, Juliet, and Alex stand and follow her down the hall. Blood pressure, temperature, height, et cetera. Shawn can’t focus on any of it. He leans against the wall and lets his eyes slip closed.

“Shawn?” Juliet’s quiet voice pulls him back to the real world. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, fine,” he says, trying for a smile. “Just worried.”

She nods and gives him a half-smile of her own. “Me too.”

\---

“Okay Alex, I need you to hold super still for me, okay? Just put your arm here, like… this.”

Juliet nearly jumps from her seat when Alex cries out. She and Shawn are separated from him by a wall with a small glass window, thanks to the radiation from the x-ray machine. She grits her teeth and reaches for Shawn’s hand. “What kind of hospital doesn’t let parents stay in the room with their three-year-old?”

A sigh comes from Shawn beside her. “This sucks. I’m sorry, Jules.”

She turns to look at him, her brows knitting. “Shawn, you have nothing to be sorry for…”

He shakes his head. “I should’ve noticed when it happened, Jules. I was right there with him afterwards. Actually, if I’d stayed close, it might not have happened in the first place.”

“Shawn.” Juliet takes both of his hands in hers. “This is in no way your fault. You know Alex. All kids that age run around and get hurt. It happens! And the ER would’ve been more crowded this afternoon, anyway. Tonight is better.”

“Not if we don’t get any sleep,” he mumbles.

Juliet kisses his cheek. “We’ll be home before you know it.”

\---

Alex’s arm is broken. They’d suspected as much, but Shawn still feels a fresh wave of guilt as the doctor informs them of the prognosis. Not even Alex’s excitement over picking out the color of his cast makes him smile.

“This is gonna be miserable,” he groans. “Six weeks of not being able to get it wet? Those things get so itchy, Jules. He’s gonna hate it.”

“Shawn Spencer.” Juliet turns to him with a sharp look in her eye. “I have had enough of your whining and blaming yourself, okay? It’s not your fault. We’re all tired. I _know_ how worried you are about Alex, literally, I do, because I’m worried too. But please, can we focus on the positives? He’s going to be just fine. We get to go home now. He has pain medicine in him. The worst is over.”

Shawn sighs shakily, then wraps his arms around Juliet. Over her shoulder, he sees Alex watching the doctor curiously as his wrapped arm is coated with plaster. Taking a deep breath, he lets his eyes slip closed.

“You’re right, Jules,” he mumbles. “The worst is over.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Leave a comment or kudos, or find me on tumblr at bijulesspookyohara !


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